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Edward Preble

Originally published in 1972, Christopher McKee’s biography of Edward Preble remains the most authoritative source on this influential early shaper of the U.S. naval tradition. McKee documents Preble’s rise from obscurity to become Thomas Jefferson’s chief administrator. He chronicles the officer’s relationship with Jefferson and outlines the president’s policies and strategies during the Barbary Wars. McKee also brings to light the Tripolitan activities and attitudes that confronted Preble as he sought to bring the war to an end.

Christopher McKee is Samuel R. and Marie-Louise Rosenthal Professor and Librarian of the College at Grinnell College, Iowa. He is the author of A Gentlemanly and Honorable Profession: The Creation of the United States Naval Officer Corps, 1794–1815, published by the Naval Institute Press in 1991. He has been recognized nationally for his contributions to the study of naval history. Awards include the U.S. Naval History prize (1985), John Lyman Book award, and the Samuel Eliot Morison Distinguished Service award. McKee's major naval history publications include Edward Preble: A Naval Biography, 1761-1807 (1972), A Gentlemanly and Honorable Profession: The Creation of the U. S. Naval Officer Corps, 1794-1815 (1991), Sober Men and True: Sailor Lives in the Royal Navy, 1900-1945 (2002).

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Gentlemanly and Honorable Profession

Compiled from official records and unpublished material, the author builds a unique and fascinating...Read More

Edward Preble

Originally published in 1972, Christopher McKee’s biography of Edward Preble remains the most...Read More